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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29194845">A pair of socks</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gytha_Bagshot/pseuds/Gytha_Bagshot'>Gytha_Bagshot</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Sound of Magic [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Video Blogging RPF</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Crossover, Hogwarts, M/M, Ship, breddy - Freeform, brettisgryffindor, eddyisravenclaw, eddypov, lol, mirroroferised, mlm, sueme, thesoundofmagic, twoset - Freeform, twosetviolin - Freeform, violin</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-02-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-13 04:08:40</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Not Rated</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,347</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29194845</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gytha_Bagshot/pseuds/Gytha_Bagshot</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>There was no record of any music lesson in Hogwarts either, or even the mention of music. Nevertheless, during one of these nights where they just wandered in the castle, hiding behind pillars to avoid the caretaker and find a quiet place to practice their instrument, Brett and Eddy had found the Practice Room.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Eddy Chen &amp; Brett Yang, Eddy Chen/Brett Yang</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>The Sound of Magic [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2143443</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>33</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>A pair of socks</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/merridian/gifts">merridian</a>.</li>



    </ul></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <b>December 15</b>
  <b>th</b>
  <b>, 2008</b>
</p><p>
  <span>It was a night like the others.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Sneaking out of the Ravenclaw dorms, going past this giant suit of armour, hiding in a dusty classroom to avoid Filch and his horrible cat, waving his wand at the painting with the red amaryllises to open the secret passage, slipping into the thin gap between those odd uneven walls, finally arriving to the abandoned practice room.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>It was a night like the others.</span>
</p><p><span>They had no idea where </span><em><span>exactly</span></em><span> they were, even after years of hiding here in the middle of the night to practice. Of course, Eddy tried to look for an explanation in </span><em><span>Hogwarts, a History,</span></em><span> and some other books, he spent hours in the library reading tons and tons of old parchments and maps of the school, but he could find no trace of</span> <span>this room. There was no record of any music lesson in Hogwarts either, or even the mention of music. They knew the Hogwarts anthem, of course (and its stupid ‘everybody-choses-their-favourite-tune’ tradition), the Sorting Hat could sing as well (not really in tune, but it was </span><em><span>something</span></em><span>) … Oh, and there was the silly Chocolate Frog card about Albus Dumbledore, who apparently liked chamber music, but it didn’t count, did it? Everybody knew the legendary wizard used to have a taste for weird jokes</span><em><span>.</span></em></p><p>
  <span>And it was pretty much it. As if music had nothing to do with magic in Hogwarts. As if the teaching of music shall remain a ‘Muggle-thing’, like Brett’s father told him once. As if they were part of two independent universes no one could cross. As if the old castle was telling them: ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>your craft does not belong here. You shall choose magic, and magic only.</span>
  </em>
  <span>’ (but they didn’t choose, of course. They couldn’t, even if they wanted to. They might as well choose between chopping off their right or left hand).</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>And yet</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Yet, Brett and Eddy, during one of these nights where they just wandered in the castle, hiding behind pillars to avoid the caretaker and find a quiet place to practice their instrument… Brett and Eddy had found the </span>
  <em>
    <span>Practice Room</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was not really interesting at first glance, no. A small badly lit place, with patches of saltpetre on the walls and a stuffy odour. There was dust everywhere and moth-eaten sheets, like apathetic ghosts projecting still shadows on the floor, covered up some furniture.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But they had made it their cocoon. A haven of peace where they could practice for hours in the night and be disturbed by no teacher or schoolmate. They had cleaned the whole place, discovered antic chairs, music stands and some dead mice, mouldering Bach and Beethoven scores. They arranged it nicely, repaired the stands and the chairs, organized the scores and brought tons of new interesting pieces.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Beside the gigantic wardrobe they had never managed to open, they even unearthed a rusty record player, and they could spend hours listening to old 33-rpm discs. Doing nothing. Just –… just being there, with each other, understanding each other and the music perfectly, quietly humming a nice phrase or giving a hint of a conducting gesture.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But most of the time, they played. Together or separately, casting a spell to be able to play without hearing the other’s repetitive scales, of working their own magic and playing duets – a ton of duets.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was real magic, the two of them. How they understood each other, how they played together, how they completed each other, how their friendship seemed –… meant to be? Eddy liked to think of them as “soul-friends”, sometimes (he could not think of soul-something else, no. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Certainly not. It was not –… no. Hu-uh. Never. Brett was a Pure-Blood, after all. And Eddy knew very well how these families felt about – this kind of feelings. His fake gagging noise when somebody made a joke about them was… revealing</span>
  </em>
  <span>.)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>So yeah, soul-friends they were (</span>
  <em>
    <span>he settled for this, he really did, yeah, definitely. He could not ask for more, no, he didn’t want to. He could – he could live with this</span>
  </em>
  <span>), and their friendship was magical. </span>
  <em>
    <span>It had been even more magical since they found the Abel… But this was a story for another night</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Because this one was supposed to be a night like the others.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>However, when Eddy slipped into the thin gap between those odd uneven walls, and finally reached the abandoned practice room, he immediately </span>
  <em>
    <span>knew</span>
  </em>
  <span> something was happening.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Well, actually the loud grunting and crashing noise told him so.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Brett?! You okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh yeah, don’t worry mate!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His friend was covered in dust, standing next to the big wooden cupboard, a proud smile lighting his face up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Look!” he exclaimed, ruffling his hair to get rid of the fluff balls and spider webs. “Look what I did!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mate! No way! How did you do that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eddy was astonished alright: the cupboard’s doors were ajar. They had tried everything over the past couple of years, really everything. Spells, violence, passwords. Sometimes, they just stopped playing to say a random sentence, or phrase, to see if it opened it. But nothing, nothing worked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And now it was here? The subject of their curiosity for months, finally here? </span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh, Eddy could have kissed him right here and there. He would not, though.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“My rosin fell behind it bro, don’t ask me how, I actually have no idea how I did this… So I spent like ten minutes trying to push it to get it back, and man it’s dusty out there, we really should clean it up, and fuck this thing’s heavy af but as I was trying to play the big strong man my hand hit a kind of button or something and it opened!” Brett babbled with the high-pitched voice he had when he was really excited.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Bro it’s amazing! Did you look, what is it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You arrived just as I saw it. But I would have waited for you to open it anyway. There’s just… Like a golden thingy in it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh, this was interesting</span>
  </em>
  <span>.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Curiosity bubbled in Eddy’s stomach as he hurried to face the faded doors. Brett was standing shoulder to shoulder with him, radiating excitement like a little kid. Eddy took a glance at his wide smile (there was no way this guy was already sixteen, for Merlin’s sake) and cautiously turned the handle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Honestly, Eddy was a bit disappointed. Inside the wardrobe, nothing but a tall golden-framed mirror, covered in dust and dirt, standing on two clawed-feet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He felt stupid as they watched at their reflections for a few seconds. What a waste of time, and energy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ugh, we should just go back to practice”, he said, a bit annoyed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Dude, why, what?” exclaimed Brett whose excitement only seemed to grow. “Look! How weird is this?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He pointed at something in the mirror, but Eddy could not see anything interesting.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What? It’s… Just us.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t you see it? Look, we’re here now, but our reflexions are holding hands, that’s weird!”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Excuse –… what. What? WHAT?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t you see it? Bro, that’s funny. What do you think this means?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I –… I don’t know, bro…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His cheeks burning, Eddy took a better look at the mirror, but… no. No holding hands in front of him. His reflexion’s hands were matching his… Except for a small detail.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A thin, golden ring adorned his left ring finger. </span>
  <em>
    <span>In the name of Dumbledore’s pants, what?!</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Trying not to shake, he looked at Brett’s reflexion.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Same hand, same ring.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span> “Hey, maybe it predicts the future”, theorized Brett, very oblivious of his friend’s internal screaming. “Hey, let’s hold hands and see what happens!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What? Bro that’s… no. That’s weird.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Dude, grow up, we’re friends. It’s only weird if you make it weird. Come on! I want to know if something happens.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span> “Hey, look” said Eddy to hide his embarrassment. He pointed at the top of the mirror with the hand Brett tried to grab. “There is an engraving here. It says… Well, I can’t read that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tiptoeing to see the weird sentence carved in gold letters, Brett pronounced slowly: “</span>
  <em>
    <span>Erised stra… ehru oyt ube… cafru.. oyt on wohsi</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And as his friend enunciated the odd phrase, as he put his slender violinist hand on his shoulder to steady himself, as he stumbled over the words in his sweet Australian accent, Eddy felt his mind working faster and faster.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Dude, I know” he exclaimed as it became clear, “you’re supposed to read it backw-…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oh. Okay.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Well, fuck.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Eddy, are you okay? You look pale.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eddy blinked and tried to say something, but his mouth and throat were frozen by the realisation (and the fear, growing little by little in his chest, like a wild animal ready to devour everything: his breath, his mind, his heart, his hopes).</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Come on, take my hand, we’ll see what happens next.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Without waiting, Brett slid his fingers inside Eddy’s and this single touch snapped the latter out of his thoughts.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>… your heart’s desire…</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait, what did you say? </span>
  <em>
    <span>Brett, what do you see?</span>
  </em>
  <span>”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Us, holding hands like two weirdos, just like we’re doing now”, Brett laughed. “Now, what does the sentence mean? Oh, look, our reflections chang-…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And as he faced the mirror again, Brett’s cheeks turned… something redder than red itself. Eddy frowned and looked too, but nothing had changed for him (now they just seemed like two husbands holding hands, and it </span>
  <em>
    <span>ached</span>
  </em>
  <span>).</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Brett?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Brett was shivering. His smile had left his face and little droplets shone on his forehead. He hadn’t let Eddy’s hand go and his grip on his fingers was so tight it hurt.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Brett, what’s happening?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I-… I don’t… We are… </span>
  <em>
    <span>Oh my god</span>
  </em>
  <span>.” Brett’s voice was shaking but he didn’t move. He obviously couldn’t avert his eyes from whatever the mirror showed him. “You… We’re not… How… No, no I can’t-… Dude are you… ? Because I didn’t think I-… But this…”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He took a deep breath and closed his eyes, squeezing Eddy’s hand like a stress ball. Eddy gazed at him, waiting for him to say something coherent, to explain, to describe whatever he was seeing. But Brett didn’t say a word, breathed deeply and licked his trembling lips.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Bro… Are you okay?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What does it say?” he whispered, his eyes still shut. “Eddy, what’s the mirror’s purpose?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eddy swallowed. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Ah…</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“It… You need to read it backwards. It says… huh…” he pronounced slowly, not really sure how to put this.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Eddy! </span>
  <em>
    <span>What. Does. It. Say.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“It –… it says: ’</span>
  <em>
    <span>I show not your face, but your heart’s desire.</span>
  </em>
  <span>’ I guess it… It basically shows us what we want most in the world.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Oh, now Eddy was sure of this. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Of course</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
  <em>
    <span>His heart’s desire? It had been Brett for a long time now. </span>
  </em>
  <span>And he never thought he actually wanted to marry him, but the idea of spending his entire life with him was… Well. He’d never even dared to dream this.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So. Does it mean that… If I… do… what the mirror shows… I’ll be, like… the happiest I can be?” Brett asked; his voice was now firm and steadier. Determined. He opened his eyes and stared at the reflection, his thoughts obviously churning around in his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I… suppose so,” Eddy answered weakly, not knowing </span>
  <em>
    <span>at all</span>
  </em>
  <span> what to expect from his friend.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright, then.“</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And Brett let go of Eddy's hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>For a second, it hurts so much he thinks he might pass out from the pain. He misses it. He misses this hand, these fingers, this touch, this closeness, these feelings, Brett, oh and</span>
  </em>
  <span>–…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Oh.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Oh?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Brett filled the void. Invaded his personal space. Hands on his shoulders, behind his neck, in his hair. Lips shyly stroking the corner of his mouth, then getting more daring and there is nothing else in the entire fucking world but Brett, his lips, his breathing, his hands, his hair, his skin, his tongue even, for a bit.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When they finally parted, gasping for air but still clinging to each other’s robe, Eddy wondered if there was really anything else to say, except:</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Brett, I… I think I love you.“</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Brett looked deep in his eyes and sighed with the soft and sly smile that always announced some sort of joke: “Man, my parents are gonna get maaaad…“</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And he settled on his mouth again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>***</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hours later, after having finally decided to pick their violins up and do some practice, when dawn had to bring them back to their dorms, Brett softly asked:</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But Eddy, you didn’t tell me what you were seeing in the mirror…?“</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That’s… Well. I saw us. We were together.“ Eddy was not lying, no. Just… Keeping the truth hidden, waiting for better days and older years, maybe. “And dude, you know what? I never thought you would… see this kind of thing too.“</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Honestly? Me neither.“ Brett answered, half-laughing. “I always thought… My feelings for you were normal best-friend stuff. Turns out… I apparently still have a lot to learn about best friends.“</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eddy beamed at him, but he was still worried about something, though.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What about your parents? Your family? They’re not… I mean. They don’t really tolerate this kind of… stuff, do they?“</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He shrugged:</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know. I guess we’ll have to hide for a bit, but after all, who cares? I’ll be considered an adult in a few months. We’ll figure it out then.“</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They smiled at each other, confident that the future would only bring more joy, and new desires. One last kiss, and Brett headed to the Gryffindor tower while Eddy went back to his own dorm.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Sneaking out of the abandoned practice room, slipping into the thin gap between those odd uneven walls, looking around to check if the coast was clear behind the red amaryllises painting, hiding in a dusty classroom to avoid Filch and his horrible cat, going past this giant suit of armour, finally arriving to the Ravenclaw dorms…</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Slipping quietly in his bed, Eddy drifted to sleep thinking: this had </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> been a night like the others.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hi! I hope you liked this... I dedicate this work to twosetmeridian who gave me the idea for this os on twitter (check her out she’s like the best writer ever in this fandom).<br/>This is a one-shot but I plan on writing a series of Hogwarts/Wizard world one-shots which will be a complete story when it’s finished... Stay tuned! &lt;3</p></blockquote></div></div>
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